Accuracy as the cornerstone of journalistic activity

Abstract

This article discusses the question of accuracy in journalism, both in its technical and ethical dimensions, seeking to restore it as the central axis of this professional practice. To this purpose, a set of questions is introduced, starting with the discussion of the concept of accuracy in ethical instruments. For example, journalistic truth and the necessary instruments to achieve it; cross-checking sources, an exercise that should not be limited to contradiction; freedom of speech and hate speech; the different types of fake news; the pernicious effects of clickbait and a phenomenon described by the author as fast food news, which damages the effective fulfillment of the journalistic mission in democratic societies.